Wounded Knee

US Defense Secretary Hegseth says soldiers in Wounded Knee massacre will keep their Medals of Honor

US Army soldiers killed an estimated 250 Lakota Sioux tribepeople, including women and children, in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1890
The soldiers were trying to disarm Native American fighters who had already surrendered at their camp
Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, ordered the review of the awards in 2024 after a Congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill

By AP · 26 September 2025